Ornament with light effects



March z8, 1944. Q WEISS 2,345,517

ORNAMENT WITH LIGHT EFFECTS Filed July 8, 1941 Patented Mar. 28, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ORNAMENT WITH LIGHT EFFECTS Gerhart Weiss, New York, N. Y., assigner of onehalf to Paula Karpfen, New York, N. Y.

Application July 8, 1941, Serial No. 401,411

3 Claims.

which will be simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture, easy to apply or to remove, easy to operate, and which will operate as soon as it ls connected into any of the usual house elec-V tric circuits.

Still further objects of this invention will be apparent as the specillcation of the same proceeds.

In the drawing forming a part of this specication and accompanying the same:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of an embodiment of my novel ornamental device;

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation, the section being taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an elevation of a rotating cylindrical body used in my invention, being shown on an enlarged scale, and

Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation thereof, the section being taken on the line 4 4 of Fig. 3.

Referring now to the drawing more in detail by characters of reference, the embodiment of my device illustrated in the drawing shows a star shaped ornamental device, particularly designed for Christmas tree tops, having a main star shaped hollow body, generally indicated by the numeral IIl and being of the ornamental contour, formation and design as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2. Y

The star shaped hollow body has inclined ornamental opaque circumferential right hand Walls II, and similar left hand walls I2, and the rear face thereof is closed by an opaque rear wall I3, while the front is formed by an opaque wall I4 having a plurality of perforations or holes I5. Of course the back wall or any other Wall may have similar perforations.

An inner wall or lining I6 placed back of the perforated wall I5, said inner wall I6 being of translucent or of a reduced transparent character. As an example, the front wall I4 may be made of a board of plastic material and the inner lining wall I6 of translucent tissue paper.

In the lower center of the star shaped hollow boly I is arranged a tubular extension I'I for (Cl. 24U-10.1)

the same, into which isset a tubular socket or securing piece I8 for my device.

The lower `portion or socket I9 of an elon-Y gated electric light bulb 2I) is secured in the upper part of the tubular extension I'I, the terminations or posts 2I and 22 of the electric bulb being connected to the wires 23 and 24, respectively, of a usual electric connector plug 25.

For the best elect I employ a light bulb 2l) of elongated shape having a single elongated lament 26 being supported by the wire2l, as it is well known in this art.

A slightly resilient wire coil 28 is pulled over the outside of the bulb 2U tightly engaging the same and being secured thereon by its` friction, said coil 28 terminating in an upper pin 29. A cylindrical body, generally indicated by the numeral 30, and being of the construction to be ,described presently, is rotatably suspended on the pin 29, as by a cup shaped bearing element 3l of greatly reduced frictional resistance, as. of glass, set into the top disc 32 of the cylindrical rotatable body `30.

In the embodiment shown, the cylindricalbody 30 is constructed as follows:

From an upper top disc 32 a plurality oi opaque strips 33 depend forming a hollow cylindrical body and having the spaces 34 left between them. To secure the device in this shape and still permit the light to pass through the spaces 34, upper and lower` securing strips 35 and 35 are arranged, made of any suitable transparent material, like a cellulose product, Cellophane, etc. Further similar securing rings 31 may be arranged on the inside of the device being of similar material to that of securing rings 35 and 36.

Propelling means 3S, similar to the blades of a fan are separated from the material of the top disc 32 and bent upwardly in a manner known to those versed in this art.

For better balancing and further securing the device, wire ring 39 may be secured around the lower end thereof.

As will be seen in Fig. 2 the cylindrical device 3l! will be placed over and around the electric bulb 2Q by permitting it to rest through its glass bearing cup 3l on the pin 29.

The operation of my device is as follows:

My novel ornament will be secured at the place it is desired to use the same by its tubular lower end I8, as by pushing the same over the tip of a Christmas tree. Plug 25 is then inserted into the electric outlet, and the bulb will be illuminated. The hot air produced by the heat of the bulb will ascend in the device, as indicated by the arrow 40 and the air striking the upper fan blades 38 will rotate the cylinder 33. Through the operation of the opaque strips 33 and the free spaces 34 in the cylinder, the light will alternatingly play on the various perforations I5 in the face I4 of my device, and thereby an effect similar to stars being lit and being extinguished in rotation will be produced. The opaque wall I4 may be made deep blue in color for this purpose to imitate the sky.

Appropriate upper and lower openings 4i and 42 may be arranged in the hollow body it to aid in the production of an air current 43.

The translucent inner wall or lining I3 to the rear of the perforated wall I4 is highly desirable 4to be employed, since without that the eiect of rising and extinguishing stars will not be perfect.

lIt is obvious that instead of the hollow star Y-sliape used in the embodiment of my invention shown in the drawing, other hollow shapes may be used, as for instance, an angel for the tip of a Christmas tree, the stars lighting and extinguishing on the dress of the angel. Similarly, human or animal figures, or other ornamental hollow bodies may be employed on my rotating cylinder 30 having appropriate apertures in their walls for a novel light effect.

It also will be obvious that instead of `building the cylindrical body 3D of independent opaque strips 33, the same may be made of a hollow transparent cylinder, as for instance, of Ceilophane and the opaque strips 33 may be painted thereon. Instead of the strips 33, an opaque helical design, or any other opaque parts, may be painted thereon and, in general, a rotating body 33 may take other shapes and may have other designs, the main requirement being that it should have alternate transparent and opaque elements.

Openings 4I and 42 may be provided in the top and bottom, respectively, of hollow body I0 to aid in forming the air current 40.

What I claim as new, is:

1. In an ornamental device with light. effects for Christmas trees and the like, having a housing, a heat producing source of light in said housing, a rotatable member around said source of light having alternate opaque and transparent portions, and openings in the wall of said housing to create said light eiects, said housing having wide vertically set front and rear walls, substantially identical in contour, closely set to one another, inwardly inclined circumferential walls f around said front and rear walls to complete said housing, a tube downwardly extending through the bottom center of the housing, open at both ends, and communicating with the interior of the housing, said heat producing light source being in the form of an elongated electric bulb set into said tube and projecting into said housing near to its top, electrical connections for said bulb introduced through the wall of said tube means over said bulb responsive to its heat to rotate said member, the ornamental device being adapted to be secured on the tip of a Christmas tree, or the like, by pushing the lower part of said tube thereover, said light effect producing openings being in said wide front wall.

2. In an ornamental device, as set forth in claim 1, cooperating openings in the top and in the bottom, respectively, of said housing, one set being in said inclined end walls in front of, and the other set to the rear of, the center plane of the device, to create a predetermined air current therethrough, by the action of the heat of said light source, said means to rotate said member being actuated by said air current.

3. In a device,A as set forth in claim l, said iront wall being of blue colored translucent inaterial to imitate the sky, and a translucent colorless sheet placed back of its openings for aid ing in the ei'ect of scintillating stars.

GERHART VJEISS. 

